Monday, November 21, 2016

Obsessed With Figure Drawing

I am going to write about drawing the human figure. Again. Yes, I've been absent from the blog for months, and yes, I’ve
already written about it several times. I must admit something to you, fair
reader. The truth is, I have become obsessed. With the human form, and the male one at that.

As a last drawing project of the semester in April, we “went
big” during our warm-ups and then did a collaborative mural project, drawing
our figures from a live male model, only our second male of the semester.

Here’s a photo of my first ever large-as-life drawing (after 25 minutes) and an
in-progress of our mural that resulted from his fine modeling over those three
days:

During this short time, I came to realize how much more
interesting it is for me to draw people who are not college-aged and, well,
“perfect.” In my art explorations over the summer at several art museums (most
notably in New York City), I pondered this as I saw painting after painting of these
young “perfect” women.

It’s not fair to say they’re boring, even though that’s
the first word that pops into my mind. Their bodies are fine. But where is the
nuance?

When looking at a man, where are the landmarks to help get it right?
Where, in the classical art world, are older skin, age lines, and something else besides
Mr. Incredible’s V-shaped body type held up to be appreciated, especially of
men?

And, I’m just going to
say it:

What combination of things in our western culture, over the course of
centuries, has made it so that breasts and vaginas are more acceptable to look
at than penises? How is it that it is so ingrained in us that one thing is
beautiful and the other not?

On top of that, in the USA in particular, why
does nudity have to mean sex? And since we’re going there anyway, why then must
we be so ashamed as humans, of being sexual beings?

I’m not saying let’s celebrate the male form as something
better or more important than the female form.

I am saying that we should notice the ordinary, acknowledge inherent
beauty and nuance, think of it as enough, and not shy away from our body parts
in revulsion or feel shame for even wanting to look.

At the end of that fateful semester, I was contacted by the
model, asking if he could have one of my warm-up drawings. When I told him how
much cooler it had been to draw him than most of the other models over the
semester, it impacted him in a way that moved me. Later, he asked if I might be
willing to draw him again, for a commission. Um, well that was a no-brainer.

I wanted to go deeper. To understand what it’s like for a
man to stand there in the nude, to make it comfortable for him, to address
moments of what I might call human-ness.

Luckily, my model was willing to go
there too. As we arranged logistics and figured out how to set up a
figure-drawing space in my studio, we talked about vulnerability and masculinity
and body shapes and identity.

To prepare for our art-making sessions—I was getting paid
for this after all—I went to the open figure drawing night each week at the
uni. Practice practice practice. (Samples, below.)

I bought several
mid-toned papers and new charcoal. I brought more lights into my studio and
curtained off a window.

The day the model arrived, we talked about composition. He
wanted to be portrayed as open, confident, still, and quiet. Shoulders to
knees. I made a suggestion and we practiced it. I put a sign on my front door:
“Do not disturb, Thursday, 8-11am.”

Then we dived right in to modeling and
drawing.

Over the course of making this drawing, I came to appreciate
the model even more. He didn’t talk so I could concentrate on drawing. He held
still, even when his shoulders hurt or he was tired.

During breaks we’d sit on
the platform and chat. We became friends. I wanted to honor him and his
willingness to be in a very intimate space with a woman who wasn’t his life
partner.

Important note: we talked about this! We intentionally
included our spouses in the whole thing, which made for an incredibly trusting
and safe environment and allowed us to do the work we wanted to do.

Here’s the picture at the end of day 1 after about 60 minutes.
He sat for me for about 4 hours in total.

People always ask me, “What kind of art do you do?”

This is a hard question for me to answer, since I do so many
different things.

This is an understatement. When I say that, what I am
not saying is how much I loooooove it. It capitalizes on my callings to be in
relationship with people and to make art. I am in relationship while in art. To meld these two things in one
project is glorious. It is tapping into the best Heather Matthews that I can
see exists in this universe.

Figure drawing has also made me ‘art’ like crazy these last
couple months. All I want to do is draw in my free time (thus, the blogging has
gone by the wayside). I’ve never felt that compulsion for such as steady period
of time.

I’ve already got another male model lined up to draw in December.

I’ve
got an idea in mind for a show once I make enough drawings.

I’m trying to build
a more permanent platform in my studio for the model.

I’m thinking about buying
big paper and wondering where in my studio I’ll put it if it outsizes my easel.

Considering my interest in fibers (weaving/dying/stitching), now I’m thinking
about how I can meld the two, too.

Here is the completed drawing, or at least most of it. (Thanks
to The Simpsons for inspiration for this photo.) I want to be sensitive to the
world we live in now, the one which sometimes can’t handle the Full Monty.

One of my hetero BFFs, when I showed her the whole
enchilada, said, “It’s like getting to really look at a man, like I’ve never
been able to before.”

If you want to see the final product, do one of two things:

Email me directly (address is in the side bar to the right)

Come to the show I’ll have, where there’ll be plenty of male
nudes on view, date TBA.

And since I can’t just keep blathering on today, stay tuned
for blog posts on these topics in the very near future:

HLM @ Parsley Art Studio

Welcome to Art by HLM!

Hi there, I'm Heather Matthews, and I welcome you to my art blog! I post something new every week, so please save this link as a bookmark and come by often. I'm always glad to get feedback or have someone just say "hi." See below if you need info on how to post a comment.

About Me

My goal is to sit myself down in my studio every day to create! I love mixed media, collage, fabric and textiles, quilts, bags, and cards. My dream: to become a full-time professional artist and instructor, with strong ties to the art community in Fort Collins, Colorado.

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